Part 3 The Smoke Detector 煙霧探測器

Dialogue Script 1 對話原文 1

Jack: (Reading letter) Dear Mister Smith, your daughter informs me that...
Tina: What's this about?
Jack: Apparently Lisa reported us for failing fire safety standards.
Tina: Is that the teacher's business?
Jack: I don't know. Maybe the teacher has heard about Tom's pyromania.
Tina: Maybe you should buy some fire safety stuff.
Jack: Will do. Better safe than sorry.

講解：

1. 對話中，Jack和Tina收到了Lisa老師的來信，Tina問這封信是關于什么內容的呢？What's this about? 是“這跟什么有關”的意思，這個問句可以在好奇想要知道別人正在看什么或者讀什么東西的時候用上。我們用一個對話來作例子，---What's this all about? ---We just feel like it is time for you to go and find a job. ---你們這是在干嘛？或者你們這是什么意思？---我們只是覺得你應該找份工作了。

2. 很顯然Lisa告訴了老師家里防火安全不合標準的事情。fail 在這里作動詞，表示“失敗，不及格”，比如說，He failed the history test again. 他歷史考試又不及格。Tina覺得奇怪，難道老師也管消防這方面的事情嗎？

3. Jack也不知道，也許是老師知道了Tom喜歡玩火的事情了吧。Tina說還是去買一些防火安全的東西吧，防患于未然。Better safe than sorry. 我們上節課說過了，是“有備無患”的意思。

Dialogue Script 2 對話原文 2

Tina: Oh my god! What on earth are you doing?!
Tom: Oh, uh. I was just trying to do my chemistry homework.
Tina: What are you talking about?
Tom: You know. Chemical reactions. That sort of thing.
Tina: Are you being honest with me? Your teacher assigned fireworks as homework?
Tom: Well...not exactly. But it's related.
Tina: Tom, I think you need to calm down a little and find another hobby.

講解：

1. 對話中，Tina下班回到家發現Tom在玩鞭炮，把她嚇了一大跳，Tom到底知不知道自己在干什么啊，What on earth are you doing? 當中的 on earth 起強調作用，表示“到底，究竟”。

2. Tom說他正在做化學作業，媽媽不知道他在說什么，Tom也說不明白，只能說就是化學反應之類的東西。sort of thing 這個用法表示“那一類的事情”，當你不想或者是沒有辦法詳細解釋，而對方又能夠了解的時候，就可以在話尾加上這一句。這樣可以起到“不言而喻”的效果。我們用一個對話作例子，---What'd you do last night? ---Oh, hang out, talk on the phone, that sort of thing. ---你昨天晚上做什么了？---哦，閑晃，褒電話粥之類的事情。

3. 媽媽覺得Tom沒說真話，老師難道會讓學生把鞭炮當成家庭作業？be honest with sb表示“跟某人說真話”。還有 to be honest 或者是 honestly 也可以作為一句話的開頭，表示“說實話...”。比如說，To be honest, your daughter has no aptitude for a singer. 老實說，你女兒沒有當歌星的潛力。

4. Tom解釋說，雖然不是家庭作業，但是跟家庭作業有關，But it's related. related to sb/sth這個詞組表示“與某人或者某事物有關的，有聯系的”，比如說，He's related to her by marriage. 他跟她是姻親。

Dialogue Script 3 對話原文 3

Lisa: Fire! Fire!
Jack: No, no. I'm just testing it. There's no fire.
Lisa: Why are those things so loud?
Jack: If they weren't so loud, would we hear them when they went off?
Lisa: But it's such a horrible noise.
Jack: That's the point. It should wake you up if you're asleep, and make you unable to notice anything else if you're awake.
Lisa: I think it will make me go deaf!

講解：

1. 對話中，Jack在裝煙霧探測器，警報器突然響起來，在旁邊看著的Lisa嚇得大叫起來，以為哪里著火了，Jack趕緊說，別緊張，他只是在測試看警報器好不好用。

2. test 這里是動詞，表示“檢驗或衡量質量、品質等”，用法是 test sb/sth for sth 或者 test sth on sb/sth，比如說，Many people are against new drugs being tested on animals. 很多人都反對用動物來做新藥試驗。還有，I had my eyesight tested yesterday.我昨天去檢查了視力。test sb on sth 還可以表示“測驗某人在某方面的知識和技能”，比如說，She tested the whole class on irregular verbs. 她對全班學生進行了不規則動詞的測驗。

3. Lisa不明白為什么警報器的聲音這么響，Jack說如果聲音不大的話，警報器響的時候就不容易聽到了。但是這個聲音好恐怖，很刺耳，但就是要這樣，報警器應該在你睡著的時候吵醒你，在你醒著的時候無法去注意其他的事情。

4. Jack說 That's the point. 意思是“這就對了”，表示非常同意對方的論點，或者認為對方一語中的而大加贊同。比如說，---I saved up lots of money working this summer. ---Well done. That's the point of working. Now you can go to university. ---我這個夏天工作存了不少錢。---干得好，這就是為什么要工作了。這下你可以上大學了。

Part 4 A Fire in the House 房子著火了

Dialogue Script 1 對話原文 1

(Tom is installing the last smoke detector when the alarm goes off in Tom's room)
Jack: Just my luck. I'm almost finished, but it looks like the one in Tom's room is broken.
Lisa: What, Daddy? I can't hear you.
Jack: I think the one in Tom's room is broken. Can you go check and make sure there's no fire?
Lisa: OK. Hold on a second. (walks out and then runs back in) Fire! Fire! Fire!
Jack: Oh my god! How could he be so crazy? Now where did I put that fire extinguisher?

講解：

1. 對話中，Tom正在安裝最后一個煙霧探測器，這時Tom房間里的警報器響了起來，Jack覺得真倒霉，剛要裝好一個，Tom房間里的又壞了，他說，Just my luck. 這句話表示“我就這么倒霉！”。字面上看是“這是我的運氣”。但隱含的意思是“這就是我所能有的運氣了”，在很倒霉的情況下的確可以用來自嘲一番。比如說，---Just my luck. The police are pulling us over. ---What do you expect? ---You were way over the speed limit. ---真倒霉，警察要我們靠邊停。---你還想怎樣？你超速很多了。

2. 警報器的聲音太大了，Lisa都聽不見Jack在說什么。Jack喊著讓她去Tom的房間看看，是不是真的失火了。Lisa跑回來大喊，真的失火了。Jack也嚇了一跳，趕緊去找滅火器。

Dialogue Script 2 對話原文 2

Lisa: The house is going to burn down! We're going to die!
Jack: Calm down, Lisa. It's going to be OK.
Lisa: Let's go, quick! His wallpaper was burning!
Jack: Watch how I do this, Lisa. (walks into Tom's room as Toms runs out)
Lisa: (to Tom) you're going to be in big, big trouble.
Jack: First, you have to pull the clip. Then you start spraying all over the fire.

講解：

1. Lisa嚇得大叫：“房子要燒光了，我們都要被燒死了。”Jack告訴她要冷靜，火不算太大，應該沒事的。發生火災的時候，最重要的是要保持冷靜，慌亂不能解決任何問題，反而會誤事。

2. Tom也從房間里跑了出來，Lisa告訴他麻煩大了，You're going to be in big, big trouble. 這句話的意思是“你闖禍了！”，當別人做錯了事，而且是會引發嚴重后果的麻煩時，你就可以對他說You're in big troule! 不過最好再加上幾句安慰的話或者是解決辦法，不然對方會以為你在幸災樂禍。比如說，---You're in big trouble! ---If you tell Ms Smith, I'll beat you up. ---你闖禍了！---如果你敢告訴Smith小姐，我就揍扁你。

3. Jack還不會用滅火器，他按照說明書上提供的方法，首先要拔起插銷，也就是clip，夾子，是指“金屬絲制成的用來夾東西的工具”，在對話中指的是“滅火器上的安全插銷”。拔起插銷之后，開始對著火的地方噴灑。

Dialogue Script 3 對話原文 3

Tina: You're in big trouble, young man.
Tom: But I didn't mean to do it!
Tina: That doesn't matter. It's a good thing you dad was here, or it would have been much worse.
Tom: Does this mean I can't play with fire crackers any more?
Tina: Absolutely not.
Tom: Am I grounded?
Tina: I don't know. I'm not sure I want you alone in the house!

講解：

1. 對話中，Tina在訓Tom，他闖了大禍了。You're in big trouble，我們在上一段已經講過了。Tom辯解說他不是故意的，但這不是重點，幸好當時Jack在，要不然就出大事了。

2. That doesn't matter. 表示“那不是重點/那不重要/無所謂”，當別人試圖解釋或者找借口而你不愿意接受的時候就可以用這句話來回答，讓對方知道你不認同或者不滿意。我們用一個對話作例子，---But I love you, Jenny. ---That doesn't matter. You cheated on me. 可是我愛你，Jenny. ---那不重要了，你背叛了我。

3. Tom說他以后就不能再玩鞭炮了是不是。媽媽說絕對不能再玩了。那么Tom會被禁足嗎，就是be grounded，我們再前面的內容中曾經多次提到過。

4. Tina也不知道，因為如果把Tom自己放在家里的話，不一定又會闖什么禍了，真是讓人不放心。

Dialogue Script 4 對話原文 4

Lisa: It's a good thing Tom doesn't have my teacher, or he'd be in even worse trouble!
Jack: Oh, don't pick on him. This is a good lesson that we should always be prepared for the worst.
Lisa: Well, what about earthquakes? Or tornadoes? Or tsunamis?
Jack: You're thinking ahead, aren't you? OK, Lisa, do you want to be our household safety specialist?
Lisa: Yes? But does that mean you'll raise my allowance?
Jack: Kids these days...

講解：

1. 對話中Lisa感嘆說，幸好Tom沒有跟她一樣的老師，否則他會更慘。Jack說算了，不要再挖苦Tom了，這次事故也是一個很好的教訓，我們應該永遠做最壞的打算。

2. don't pick on sb或者stop picking on sb表示“別在挖苦某人了”，當你犯了錯誤而對方對你的錯誤喋喋不休地指責或者一直拿你的錯誤挖苦你的時候，就可以說這句話讓對方放你一馬。我們用一個對話來舉例子，---Stop picking on me. ---Why? The little baby can't take a joke? ---別再挖苦我了。---怎么？小孩子開不起玩笑了？

3. Lisa又問Jack如果以后發生地震、龍卷風之類的災難怎么辦呢？難道也能預先防備嗎？Jack覺得Lisa想的太多了，并且問Lisa愿不愿意當家里的安全專員。Lisa趁機問，這是不是說她的零用錢也會相應提高呢？allowance就是家長每月給孩子的零用錢。